Rotary engine



Dec. 12, 1933- M. v. ANDREWS ROTARY ENGINE Filed Oct. 27. 1931 3Sheets-Sheet 2 a W N u M1 2 4 m @E Y N\\\\ \\\k Invenzfor MarielVAnareu/s A Z torn e y.

Dec. 12, 1933. v ANDREWS 1,938,735

ROTARY ENGINE 4 Filed Oct. 27. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 6 /6 fig/61 27AInvenZor Martel V/Indrews Atzorngy.

Patented 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y Application October 21,19:1. Serial m. 511,4:5 2 Claims. (01. 121

' This invention relates to improvements in prime movers, aircompressors, pumps and such like mechanisms where compactness and spacesaving features are a desideratum.

An object of my invention is to provide a power unit in compact formsuitable for driving or driven purposes.

Another object of my invention is to eliminate all exterior. movingmechanism and to provide simply a rotating shell housing all themechanism, thereby attaining the utmost simplicity exteriorly.

A further object of my invention is to provide a power unit suitable forsteam or internal combustion andespecially applicable to small powerunits.

By simple modifications of the valve mechanism my invention can beadapted for use as air compressors or pumps and lends itselfparticularly well for direct connection to power units or may be beltdriven.

A still further object of my invention is to provide either a power unitor a driven unit offering the greatest possible factor of safety to theuser, as in my design there are no exterior .moving parts whatsoeverexcept a revolving unit of the nature of a pulley that oflers noobstructions for the entanglement of clothing or such like. I

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to thedrawings accompanying and forming part of this application, and inwhich:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my invention of prime mover as built forsteam or air operation. a

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation or Figure 1 and shows fixed motionplate and cylinders positioned inside of revolving casing.

Figure 3 is an end view of rotating cylinder body with covers and pistonremoved. Figure 4 is an opposite end view to Figure 3 and shows recesseddistributing valve seat and cylinder ports in dotted lines leading tosaid valve seat.

Figure 5 is a crow section oi cylinder body takenonlineS-SofFigureZi.

Figure 6 is an elevation of piston showing elongated side.

Figure 'l is a cross section oi Figure 6 and shows piston roller mountedinteriorly of piston and ball seat.

Figure'8 is a plan view of piston.

Figure 9 is an elevation of control valve and distribution valve housingdismantled and carrying one end cover upon distribution valve.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of control valve 55 and shows side outletfrom control port of valve, also indicates top of exhaust passage aroundsaid valve and shows valve stem for mounting control handle on.

Figure 18 is-a vertical section of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a section taken on the line 14-14 of Figure 12 and showsexhaust passage through valve and central port and leading porttherefrom.

Figure 15 man elevation of distributing valve.

Figure 16 is an end elevation of Figure 15 looked upon from the smallend and shows ports in and through body of valve in dotted lines.

Figure 17 is a section of valve taken on line 17-17 of Figure 16 andshows port passages there through. I

In these drawings like numerals indicate like parts and 1 indicates arotating cylinder block in exterior appearance of the nature of a pulleyand having the ends 2 and 3 secured thereon 35 by the bolts 4, the wholebeing mounted in the bearings 5 of the bed-plate 6. The cylinder blockend cover 2 has a bearing 7 and a power take-oil! coupling flange 8integral therewith (to which flange any suitable power take-oil may becoupled), while the opposite end cover 3 is mounted upon the neck of acylindrical distribution valve 9, the head of which is of enlargeddiameter and fits into the recess 10 formed in the end of the cylinderblock 1, see cross section v of cylinder block in Figure 5.

The valve 9 is carried on the stationary shaft 11, one end of whichshaft is secured in the front bearing 5 and is prevented from turning bythe pine 12 extending through the shaft and into the lower part of thebearing, and also into the cap the recessed bearing 14a provided in theend 110 perspective view of Figure 9 60 cover plate 2 and the shaftpasses throush the bearing 14 of the core 16.

The cylinder block 1 has the cylinders 15 bored concentrically aroundthe bearing 14 and in the case of the present engine being describedthere are six of these cylinders. The inner core 16 of the cylinderblock 1 left after the cylinders are bored and through which the bearing14 is 1 provided has its end 17 recessed well back and into the block 1to provide room for the motion plate 13. Below the surface 17 of thecore 16 the cylinder walls are slotted at 13 to provide a path for theforwardly extended face or flange 19 of the motion plate 13 around whichthe cylinder block 1 rotates.

Fitting the cylinders 15 are the pistons 20 provided with the usualpiston rings 21 and fitted inside of the pistons and on the usual pistonpin are the rollers 22, the face of which contacts the arcuate flange 19of the motion plate 13.

The pistons 20 have one half, or approximately so, of their sleeveportion extended to give additional bearing surface and to provide amounting for a ball hearing at 23, which ball bearin contacts the backface 24 of the arcuate flange 19 formed on the motion plate 13, therebysecuring the pistons 20 thereon and giving them their reciprocatingmotion when the cylinder block 1 is caused to revolve around the motionplate 13.

The cylinders 15 have their inner end provided with a port 25, seeFigures 3, 4 and 5, which port is extended to connect with the recess 10in the end of the cylinder block 1 and in which the head of thedistribution valve 9 fits. This valve 9 is shown in Figures 15, 16 and17 and has its head end enlarged at 26 to fit the recess 10 of thecylinder block where it is retained by the cover plate 3. Intermediatethe thickness of the head 26 are out two slots 27a and 27b, one on eachside ofthe concentric bearing 28 through the body of the valve.

The body 29 of the valve is of smaller diametc! than the head 26 and hasits opposite sides cut away to provide the ports 30a and 30b connectingwith the slots 27a and 27b in the head of the valve. The outer end ofthe body 29 is provided with a cover plate 31 to which is secured thelever 32 by which the valve 9 is positioned to control the direction ofrotation of the cylinder block. The valve 9 extends through the endcover 3 of the cylinder block into the steam chest 33 mounted at one endof the cylinder block 1 and the steam chest 33 is virtually mounted uponthe valve 9.

The upper part of the steam chest is ofi'set and extends over the frontbearing 5 and is fitted with the control valve 34, the stem 35 of whichextends through the back of the upper portion of the steam chest 33 andis fitted with the control handle 36. Three views of the steamchestareshowninriguresm 10and11 and three views of the control valve inFigures 12, 13 and 14.

An inlet ported cover plate 37 is provided to close the end of thecontrol valve housing and the inlet port 38 therethrough registers withthe central port 39 of'the control valve 34.

A side outlet port 40 is cut into the body of the valve 34 to registerwith the central port 39, and on the periphery of the valve 34 andopposite the side outlet port 40 is cut the e:.haust port 41 registeringwith the exhaust outlet 42 provided in the top of the steam chest 33.The

steam chest 33 is provided with the ported passages 43a and 43bconnecting the control valve 34 with the distribution valve 9 which inturn connects with all the cylinders 15.

Balls 44 are provided between the end cover 2 and the rear end of themotion plate 13 to comprise a ball thrust bearing at this point.

A sequence of operations is as follows: Steam is admitted throughthe-inlet port 38 'and the control handle 36 set to admit steam throughthe control valve 34 and through the side port 40 into the portedpassage 43a which in turn delivers the steam to the valve 9 and port 30atherein, then into theslotted port 27a for delivery to the ports 25 ofthe cylinders 15 as they rotate around the valve 9, thus admitting steamunder the pistons within the cylinders.

As will be seen from Figure 2 the piston at the top of the cylinderblock is at the commencement of its power stroke while the piston at thebottom of the block is at the commencement of its exhaust stroke, whilethe other four cylinders in the block would be equally divided on powerand exhaust strokes during one revolution of the cylinder block, buteach piston would have delivered its quota of power during onerevolution before reaching the exhaust position.

While the ported passage 43a in the steam chest is delivering steam tothe port 30a and I slotted port 27a in the distribution valve 9 theslotted port 27b and port 30b and the ported passage-43b becomes theexhaust passage from the cylinders 15 delivering the exhaust steamthrough the peripheral exhaust port 41 in vthe control valve 34 to theexhaust outlet 42 at the top of the steam chest 33.

If the position of the handle 36 of the valve 34 and the control lever32 of the distribution valve 9 be reversed the directionof rotation ofthe cylinder block 1 is reversed by reason of the reversal of the steamflow from the ported passage 43a to the passage 43!) in the steam chestand through the connecting ports therewith.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to beprotected in by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a rotary engine of the kind described the combination comprising,a bed plate, a pair of stationary bearings, a steam chest, a rotatingcylinder block, said block being in engagement with said steam chest andmounted between said bearings, said block having multiple cylinders,said cylinders being in parallelism with the axis of rotation of saidcylinder block, said block being mounted upon a fixed shaft, said noshaft having one end projecting through one end of said cylinder blockand being carried by one of said stationary bearings while the oppositeend of said shaft is carried by a recessed bearing formed upon the irmerface of the cylinder block cover plate, said cover plate having an outerbearing and a power take-oi! coupling flange integral therewith, saidouter hearing be-, ing carried by the other of said stationary bearings,a cam positioned rigidly upon said fixed shaft and interiorly of saidcylinder block, said cam having an arcuate path formed thereon, pistonsfitting said cylinders, said pistons hav-' ing piston pins and rollers,said rollers being its mounted upon said piston pins interiorly of said146- pistons, means engaging said rollers with said arcuate path of saidcam whereby when steam is admitted through .said steam chest and againstsaid pistons the said rollers are forced against said arcuate path andcause said pistons 150 and said cylinder block to rotate around saidfixed shaft.

2. In a rotary engine of the kind described, the combination comprisinga bed plate having a pair of stationary bearings thereon, an ofisetsteam chest having a control valve and distribution valve mountedtherein, a rotating cylinder block having end cover plates in engagementwith said steam chest and mounted between said stationary bearings, saidblock having multiple cylinders in parallelism with the axis of rotationof said cylinder block, said block being mounted upon a fixed shafthaving one end projecting through one end of said cylinder block andsaid steam chest and said distribution valve, said projecting shaft endbeing rigidly mounted in one of said stationary bearings while theopposite end of said shaft is supported upon the inner face of one ofthe cylinder block cover plates, said cover plate having a boss and apower take-ofi coupling flange, said boss being carried by the othersaid stationary bearing, a motion cam positioned rigidly upon said fixedshaft and interiorly of said cylinder block, said cam having an arcuatepath formed thereon, pistons fitting said cylinders in engagement withthe arcuate path of said motion cam whereby when steam is admittedthrough said steam chest and under said pistons the said pistons areforced against said arcuate path and cause said cylinder block andpistons to rotate around said fixed shaft.

MORIEL V. ANDREWS.

